Our Second Visit to Puerto Rico
We liked Puerto Rico when we were
there in 2002 (see A
Trip to the Enchanted Island). That time we explored the northeastern
coast,
the
mountains, and the southern coast (see the green
roads on the map). This time we visited the northwest area,
which we had missed earlier (see
the blue road), and rented a condo
in Rincon for a week.
Luck was with us at every step of the
way, with the exception of route 2 when we took the wrong route 2
exiting the Autoexpreso (expressway). |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Police Escort to Rincon
Rincon is located on the westernmost tip of Puerto
Rico, between the city of Aquada on the north and the La Cadena (The
Chain) mountains to the south. Rincon is both the town and the area
of the peninsula west of route 115. Roads there are very narrow and winding.
 It
was dusk when we reached Aquada. Unsure about the route, we asked a
state police officer for
directions. He read the address where we were going, sized us
up, looked at our Trail
Blazer SUV,
pondered a moment, and told us to follow him. With his lights
flashing most of the way to warn on coming traffic to
pass with care, he escorted us right to our driveway on Calle
Nuclear.
He stopped at our driveway, pointed
in, and drove off
without even waiting for us to thank him. Amazing! |
|
|
|
Peaceful, uncrowded beaches
What I liked best about Rincon was its quiet, uncrowded
beaches. Unlike the Long Island's beaches, Rincon's are almost
empty. And unlike the miles-long beaches of Mexico's Cancun or
Puerto Escondido or Baja, Rincon's are small, many not much more than a few hundred yards.
We spent the majority of our time at one or another
of the beaches, walking, swimming, taking photographs, having
drinks, dining, watching sunsets,
or just watching small craft. I
took this picture at the south side of downtown Rincon. |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
Other Activities
There are a lot of things to do in Rincon, some of which I mention
later. One thing I did not mention is
time we spent at the lovely Rincon
of the Seas Grand Caribbean Hotel.
One day we were driving around looking for a
place for lunch, and in frustration we asked a couple of guys
working on a car. One suggested a hotel, and instead of giving
directions, got in his car and had us follow.
We came back to the Rincon of the Seas another
day so I could go swimming, and later for drinks at their swim-up
pool side bar. |
|
|
|
Sunset from Indication Beach
I don't know if the sunsets in
Rincon are always dramatic, but they were pretty spectacular every
night we were there.
I took this on our way back from
Tamboos where we had dinner. We were heading for El Faro's to take
pictures of the last of the sun setting, but it went down
faster than we'd expected. So I stopped for a moment and took this
picture. Rincon is a place
for a quiet beach vacation. The city brags about having as many as
1,000 visitors during the busy season. Many hotels in big resorts
elsewhere have that many guests by themselves. This makes for uncrowded beaches
on a tropical island.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
